After the Show

I was recently commissioned (I love using that word – makes me sound so professional!) to photograph a fireworks show. Now, despite the fact that this is one of the largest – if not the largest – annual fireworks show in the state, I was looking for something that would distinguish some shot of mine from everyone else who pointed their camera at the sky for 4 second exposures. What I ended up with was this cityscape after the last shell burst. I dialed the shutter back to 15 seconds and let the glow of the streetlights collect on the sensor with the low-hanging smoke covering the entire town. There were incredibly impressive fireworks, but this last exposure of the night turned out to be my favorite, even if the haze causes it to appear not in focus.